Abstract

Background

The weight-loss effect of team medical care in which counseling is provided by clinical
psychologists was investigated in an university hospital obesity (OB) clinic. Nutritional
and exercise therapy were also studied. In our previous study, we conducted a randomized,
controlled trial with obese patients and confirmed that subjects who received counseling
lost significantly more weight than those in a non-counseling group. The purpose of
this study was to identify the psychological characteristics assessed by ego states
that promote behavior modification by obese patients.

Methods

147 obese patients (116 females, 31 males; mean age: 45.9 ± 15.4 years) participated
in a 6-month weight-loss program in our OB clinic. Their psychosocial characteristics
were assessed using the Tokyo University Egogram (TEG) before and after intervention.
The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare weight and psychological factors
before and after intervention. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors
affecting weight loss.

Conclusion

This study of a 6-month weight-loss program that included counseling by clinical psychologists
confirmed that the A ego state of obese patients, which is related to their self-monitoring
skill, and the FC ego state of them, which is related to their autonomy, were increased.
Furthermore, the negative aspects of the FC ego state related to optimistic and instinctive
characteristics inhibited the behavior modification, while the A ego state represented
objective self-monitoring skills that may have contributed to weight loss.